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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · bowl · wake · bark · band · content · rest · stick

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — a break
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. band — a music group
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. band — a ring
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bound — certain
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — tied together
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com